Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-08-20
MEN AND PRICES.
ON THE EVE OF AN AGE WHEN
NONE NEED WANT.
Before the Dawn Of the Twentieth
Century-Orgunization Of Trades
aud Professions the Foun-
dation Of the New So.
cicty-Adyance
RI DIR. A. DOuAi.

One OF the consequences of the
capltallstic system of production and
distribution is that the majority of
men cannot determine what their
work is worth. but that prices of
merchandise determine its worth.
In the future constitution of society
this order of things is to be reversed
men will determine what their
work is worth, and what are to be
the prices of all merchandise, and
each worker will have a voice and
vote in this respect.
Heretofore it could not be helped
that men Especially workers) were
tyrannized by the prices of merchan-
disc, or--what is the same-by the
law of supply of, and demand for.
merchandise. The more important
wants of men could not be supplied
in u sufficient measure to satisfy
those who demanded them; men
were too much dependent upon the
forces of nature which they could
not command. Or else nature was
in many places 50 liberal toward
them that their wants were supplied
without any great effort of theirs,
and that therefore they felt no need
to seek market for their suporilu-
ons wares. ........
| This state of things is now great
| ly altered. Man has discovered how
to command, in great degree, the
forces of nature, and almost any
| kind of merchandise can now be
supplied IN the quantity and quality
demanded, if men will combine for
this purpose. As regards the first
necessities, at least, such rs food,
shelter, ralment, education, reorea-
tion, intercourse, there need never
be too little or too much for every
body, and prices therefore need not
change beyond narrow limits. We
are, then, on the eve of an age when
there need not be any real misery,
any unsupplied and undeseryed lack
of real necessities.
The time for such an arrangement
will have arrived when, on the one
hand, the existing state of things is
no longer tolerablc, and when, on
the other hand, the majority of
workers will know how a just and
humane state of society may be es-
tablished. As the signs of the
times now seem to indicate, the
twentieth century need not dawn
upon us before the beginning of the
new society is secured.
The organization Of working peo-
pie is advancing with such rapid
strides that the great majority may
be associated in trades unions and
workers political parties within a
few years. The members will then
know whom to select for every econ
omical and political function. They
will know what the work of each is
worth, and how much of such work
is required to produce any given
kind of merchandise. When this is
known, and by calculation based
upon a general work-day of-say
eight hours or lcss-the price is
known at which the merchandise of
every kind can be furnished, provi-
ded the demand for said merchan-
disc is statistically fixed.
| Then the nationally organized
trades unions can form an economic
parliament which may compromise
the prices of any given merchandise
30 that no branch of industry may
be damaged-such compromise to
last for one year only, and to be re-
newcd and improved every year upon
a more and more equitable basis, ac-
cording as the mode of production
and distribution was improved. This
work of compromise will, on the
part of each trade or profession, be